Monday, 14 April 2014

Don't make a spectacle of yourself now!

I wouldn’t generally call myself a vain person, hey there
are some days I wouldn’t even call myself a person – more like a lounging sloth
– but that is besides the point, right now I am suffering from a mild bout of
vanity.

It was almost a year ago that Laura experienced the terrible
trauma with the blind-spot in her eye (read all about it here) and thankfully the times that she needs
to wear an eye patch and become a pirate are few and far between. If even she
did rock it! Well last night we found ourselves back at the very same hospital
where Laura was diagnosed except this time it was for me!

Last Wednesday I woke up to my eyes being incredibly
bloodshot, I thought I may be over tired or a little hung over so I put my
contacts in and continued on my day. By the time I got home my eyes were so red
that I had been asked numerous times ‘what’s wrong, why are you upset?’
Thankfully they didn’t itch or sting so I thought it was maybe time to change
my contacts – or leave them out for a few days. However that didn’t work and
trip to the eye hospital was suggested.

This is where vanity kicks in for me! I dislike, nay hate
wearing my glasses, it brings up a whole bunch of weird emotions that I never
feel at any other time and I don’t like it. In the instance of putting on my
glasses I feel defensive, like I’m missing out and ugly. I have no idea why but
looking at myself in glasses is worse than looking in the mirror after days of
illness. And my glasses aren't even that bad!

This pretty much sums it up:

I feel like I am the 7 year old kid that was devastated that
I would have to sit out of certain sports in case my glasses broke or had to
sit at the front of the class just to see. But here is the weird thing: no-one
remembers me wearing glasses at school! How is it that the event was SO big for
me but no-one else noticed? I mean there are no photos, my Mum and Dad both
said they gave up making me wear them as I would ‘lose’ them so frequently yet
some 20 years later I remember hating my glasses!

Moreover if I wear my glasses over a long period of time I
get headaches behind my ears, I have a new pair on order, but the ones I
currently have are doing my head in. Then there is the constantly slipping
off my nose, the act of pushing them back on at least matches my nickname of
swot (extra clever, suck up J)
at work.

When L& I are alone and we are both wearing our glasses
I do have less of an issue but still I get frustrated when I can’t find things
or at having to clean my lenses. I honestly can’t believe how contact lenses
changed my life. Talking to a colleague this morning I likened discovering
contact lenses as learning to drive – it gives you freedom and a new
perspective!

So while I sit here and feel a bit too ugly to be out in the
world I will give myself a good talking to and hold my head up high, at least
with antibiotics and steroids for my eyes they should be on the mend and I won’t
continue to look upset for no reason!

In 20 years of glasses wearing this is the ONLY photo of me wearing them that I actually like, but that maybe more about the hat and the fact I have a tan!

4 comments:

You look very studious in glasses Sarah - nearly everyone does - so try not to worry - you look great too! If they keep slipping down your nose, they more than likely need to be adjusted behind your ears - the bits that curve over your ears do most of the work. You could get this done at the optometrist or you could heat the end of the plastic arm with a hair dryer and gently bend them yourself. Good luck! Remember, you are beautiful! xxx

Thank you Mumma Smith :) I'm hoping my new glasses won't slip as much, i'm guessing my head grew then shrank causing these to be too big! As long as I am glasses free for the wedding that's my main focus! xxx

I think you look great with the glasses... but I understand where you are coming from, I had to wear glasses from the age of eleven, I went into junior high with hideous glasses, think of the '70's... It didn't help me as a teenager, I detested them. Then I finally got contacts and I had a love affair with them for 10 years never wearing my glasses, not even know where they were. Then I got an eye infection, had to stop wearing them for a while. I then found a pair of glasses and I haven't worn contacts since. I just had ti find a cute pair, one day you will find a cute pair you fall in love with too :) Have a great week :)

Thank you Launna, it gives me hope! I'm now 4 days into wearing them and have actually had a few compliments so I can confirm me thinking they are awful is all in my head. Glasses definitely suit you :) xx